What A Boy Wants
by ArsenicAngel
Summary: Harry has been hiding a secret desire from his partner. - A series of stories about non-sexual infantilism and a Daddy/little boy dynamic.
1. What A Boy Wants

**Author's Notes:** I've been itching to write infantilism for quite a while, and finally, I decided to do it. What started as just an idea to write a fic turned into building an entire verse in my head that I didn't want to confine to just one fic, even if that fic amounted to several thousand words in the long run. So, rather than poke at this for ages upon ages until I was satisfied that every single detail of every thing I wanted to explore was absolutely _perfect_, I've made the decision to break the tale I saw in my head into several short fics (and possibly more, as prompt tables or drabble comms inspire) that all happen within a single universe. This is the first of them, and the story that starts it all.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of _Harry Potter_, and make no money from playing in their sandbox for the purposes of this fic.

Lots of love to lorcalon for the beta, yet again.

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><p>"I think we're all done down here. Break for lunch?"<p>

Neville stretched his arms and twisted to glance at the clock over the mantel in their sitting room. They had started cleaning the house just after breakfast, and somehow, more than four hours later, had only finished the lower floors. "Lunch sounds brilliant. What were you thinking?"

"The usual?" Harry suggested with a small grin. Laughing, Neville shook his head as he dropped his arms.

"All right, how about you go pick up the take-away, and I'll get a jump on the bedroom then? At least that way, we might finish all this a bit sooner." Harry nodded, and Neville leaned in towards him to give him a brief kiss. "Hurry back."

"I will," Harry said, before he drew out his wand and Apparated.

Neville took a few moments to survey the lower floors of Grimmauld Place again, ensuring that everything was as clean as they could make it. When he was satisfied with the job he and Harry had done, he made his way upstairs and paused briefly at the top of the stairs to consider the doors along the hall.

Their bedroom, at the end seemed like it would be the quickest one to clean. With the promise of good food on the way, Neville decided to start there, in hopes of knocking that room off their list entirely before he and Harry sat down to eat. Determined, he made his way into their room and began sorting through their bedside stands.

His first thought, when he found the thick magazine tucked away in Harry's bedside drawer, was that Hermione had left it behind by accident the last time she'd been over. That Harry would tuck it in his nightstand, rather than return it straight away, was still a little strange, but at first glance, it was the simplest explanation. But Hermione hadn't visited Grimmauld Place in over a month, and when Neville started to set it aside in the 'do not Vanish' pile, he glanced down at the front cover of the baby catalogue and spied the date of the issue.

Curious, Neville perched himself on the edge of the bed and laid the catalogue open beside him, flipping through its pages to find several of them had been dog-eared. Pausing at one of the pages, he noticed a few items had been circled, with notes in Harry's distinctive scrawl squeezed along the margins. Neville frowned as he looked closer at the things Harry had circled and noticed that they were all distinctly boys' things. With Teddy already much too old for anything in the catalogue, and Hermione and Ron expecting a girl, there was no reason that came to mind to explain why Harry seemed to have been picking out toys for a baby boy.

"Neville, are you in he-"

Neville looked up from the catalogue to find Harry standing frozen in the doorway of their bedroom. His eyes were wide and focussed on the open catalogue with an expression of fear. He was breathing rapidly, and didn't seem to notice Neville stand until he was beside him, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry's attention snapped to Neville, and the fear in his eyes was mixed with something else that Neville was unable to place.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Neville asked, sliding his hand over Harry's shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. Instead, Harry's eyes flickered again towards the catalogue as he refused to meet Neville's gaze.

"Nothing."

"You're shaking." Bringing his other hand up to lightly grasp Harry's chin, Neville turned him to face him, although Harry still kept his eyes aimed away from Neville. "Talk to me," he urged, but Harry only shook his head. "Is this something to do with the catalogue?"

Harry tensed and took a step away from him. "Neville, don't."

"Listen, if this is something about you wanting a family-"

"Neville-"

"We can do that, Harry, really. There are options for us-"

"_That isn't it!_" Harry snapped, silencing Neville with his desperate tone. He wrapped his arms around himself as he turned his face away again, staring resolutely at the wall as he continued, "It isn't anything like that. It's just..." Harry hesitated, and Neville saw his lower lip begin to tremble before he took a deep breath to steady himself. "Throw it away, all right? Forget about it. _Please_."

Neville shook his head and took a step closer to Harry, reaching for him and then dropping his hand when Harry retreated back from him. "Tell me what this is about, Harry. You wouldn't be so wound up about me finding that, if this wasn't something important to you."

"You'd leave... if I told you..."

Stepping towards Harry again, Neville pulled the other man into his arms before Harry could pull away a second time, and was relieved when Harry didn't struggle. Neville wrapped one arm around Harry's waist to hold him close while the other tucked beneath his chin, tipping his face up until Harry reluctantly met his eyes. "It's been four years now, love, and it's never once crossed my mind to leave you; I'm not going anywhere."

"This is different, Nev," Harry protested. "This isn't... _normal_."

Neville cracked a small smile and dipped his head to rest his forehead against Harry's. "Since when have we ever been 'normal'?" Harry whimpered and Neville tightened his arm around him. "You can tell me anything, you know that. If this isn't about you wanting a family, then what _is_ it about?"

Harry's hands came up to curl around the front of Neville's shirt, and he moved to bury his face against Neville's neck. He was silent for several moments, and Neville began to think he wasn't going to speak, before he finally whispered, "It's... something that I want, Neville."

Neville considered Harry's answer in silence, stroking his hand over the small of the other man's back. "I think you need to be more specific, Harry... _What_ do you want?"

"_Those_ things," Harry whispered in a desperate tone. "I want to have those things..."

Never stopping the movement of his hand over Harry's back, Neville turned the explanation over in his mind for a moment. In the catalogue, Harry had marked everything from toys to dummies, and the few clothing items that had been marked had included scribbled notes about sizes that Neville hadn't understood at first glance. Now, though, it began to come together, and he moved his arms up higher on Harry's back to hug the other man against his chest.

"I'm sorry," Harry murmured, clutching tighter at Neville's shirt. "I know it's weird, I just-"

"Hush." Neville pressed a kiss against Harry's temple. "This isn't weird, love. It's okay. I just want you to tell me exactly what it is you want, all right?"

Harry pulled back to look at him with wide eyes, and Neville brushed at a wayward tear that slipped down his cheek. "You... aren't disgusted by me?" he asked in a whisper. The relief and amazement in his tone pulled at Neville, and he leaned in to brush a brief kiss against Harry's lips.

"Never. But if this is something you want me to give you, Harry, you have to tell me about it."

Harry's breath caught at Neville's words, and his eyes widened further before he threw his arms around Neville's neck and clung to him. "You would really...?"

Neville nodded, nuzzling his cheek against Harry's. "I can't promise that I can do everything you want, because I don't know exactly what that is yet. But I do promise that I'll try." 

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><p>The children's shop tucked away in Diagon Alley wasn't crowded when Neville stepped inside, and he sighed in relief. Despite his reason for coming in, he felt comfortable inside the store, but had not been looking forward to trying to navigate the unfamiliar store through a crowd of shoppers and their children.<p>

Looking around at the shelves he passed, he ran through the short list of items in his head that he could recall from his conversation with Harry and the catalogue he'd seen. Harry had remained vague about his interests, despite Neville's assertion that it was all right to tell him, and Neville hoped that his surprise would help Harry realize he was sincere. Navigating his way towards the toys first, Neville found himself at the back of the store, staring at a large section of shelves against the wall that were filled with soft toys of varying sizes.

Neville hesitated as he scanned the array of animals on the shelves, trying to think back to the night he'd found the catalogue, when Harry had let go a little, while they stretched out on the sofa to talk. He'd gotten a brief glimpse of that side of Harry, before the other man had reined himself in again, and Neville frowned at the toys in front of him as he wondered what seemed to fit Harry's preferences. For several minutes, he browsed the shelves, plucking a few toys up to examine them closer before ultimately replacing them.

A grey elephant caught his attention, and when Neville stroked his hand over it, he found it softer than he'd expected. Smiling, he started to pick up the elephant, but hesitated as he took notice of something tan on the shelf below it. Crouching down, Neville found himself face-to-face with a fairly large stuffed lion cub and grinned.

He picked it up off the shelf and gave the toy a squeeze, laughing when it let out a tiny _roar_ that sounded much more like a kitten's _meow_ than anything ferocious. A feeling of warmth washed over him as he imagined Harry holding the animal, and he straightened, tucking the lion cub under one arm.

Neville spent just under an hour continuing to browse the shop before he took his purchases to the till. The witch behind the register smiled and made small talk with him while he paid and she gift-wrapped the lion for him. When he finally stepped out of the shop and back out into Diagon Alley, with his purchases shrunk and tucked away into a pocket of his robes, it was just past four and left him only half an hour before Harry would make it home.

Once home, Neville tucked away his purchases, save the lion, which he set on the floor beside one arm of the sofa in the sitting room, where Harry wasn't likely to notice it until he was ready to pull it out. He settled himself at that same end of the sofa just as the fireplace flared to life, and Harry stepped through in a swirl of green flames. Harry smiled while he pulled off his robes and tossed them over the nearby chair.

"I wasn't sure you'd be in already. Made an early day of it?" he asked as he slipped beside Neville on the sofa. Neville's arm closed around Harry's waist and hugged him closer.

"Had some things I needed to do in Diagon. I actually just got in." Tipping his cheek to rest atop Harry's head, Neville nuzzled his hair. "How was work?"

Harry sighed and pressed himself closer into Neville's embrace. "Tiring."

"Need to let go tonight?" Neville asked softly. Harry's unsteady intake of breath was evidence he understood the meaning of the question, and he gave a hesitant nod.

"That would... be nice..."

Neville smiled as he straightened to lean over the arm of the sofa. "In that case, I got you something today."

"You did?" When Neville turned towards Harry with the wrapped present in his hands, Harry's eyes were wide and uncertain. "What... what is it?"

Smiling, Neville passed Harry the gift. "Open it and see."

Harry hesitated, but Neville's confident smile seemed to encourage him and he tore into the paper. Neville heard his breath hitch as the wrappings fell away to reveal the stuffed animal, and Harry's hands trembled as he reached out to touch it. His breathing sped up when his fingers brushed against the soft fur of the lion, stroking along the top of its head.

"You... bought this for me?" Harry whispered, raising his gaze to Neville with an expression of awe. "It's really mine?"

Neville leaned in to press a light kiss to the fringe of Harry's hair. "Of course it's yours. I don't see any other little boys here it could be for, do you?" A faint blush suffused Harry's cheeks at the question, and he pulled the toy into his arms, wrapping them tightly around it. When the lion let out its kittenish _roar_, a sheen of tears welled at the corners of Harry's eyes as he smiled and buried his face against its head.

"_Thank you._"

Harry's words came out muffled, and Neville brushed the discarded wrapping paper to the floor as he reached out and pulled Harry into his lap. Immediately, Harry curled against his chest, his arms still clinging to the new toy. Neville settled his own arms around Harry's waist to cuddle him close, resting his cheek on top of Harry's head. Harry squeezed the lion again, drawing a soft chuckle from Neville when he mimicked its roar. Sliding one hand up Harry's back, Neville brought it to the back of his head to stroke his hair. He noticed Harry's hand trembled slightly as he turned the toy towards Neville's chest and made a soft growling sound before pressing its face against his shirt and then withdrawing. When Harry brought the toy in for another attack, Neville smiled down at him.

"Should I be worried that your lion is trying to eat me?"

"'s playing," Harry murmured. He tipped the toy up slightly, so that the next attack pressed the lion's face against Neville's neck, and made a kissing noise. "Think he likes you... _Daddy_." Neville met Harry's gaze as he looked up through his lashes, the uncertainty in his expression making Neville tighten his other arm around his waist.

"Well, Daddy likes him, too." Dipping his head, Neville pressed a kiss against Harry's forehead. "And Daddy _loves_ you, Harry," he murmured.

Harry's expression crumpled at the words, and he clutched at Neville's shirt, crushing his toy between them as he pressed in to bury his face against Neville's neck. "Thank you," he whimpered, his voice muffled by Neville's neck. Smoothing his hand over Harry's back to calm him, Neville shushed him and began to rock Harry gently when he felt tears against his skin.

"I'm sorry," Harry said through his tears, receiving a tight squeeze from Neville when his voice cracked. "I don't mean to-"

"Hush," Neville murmured, silencing Harry. He continued to sooth Harry until the other man had ceased to tremble in his arms and there was no new wave of wetness against his flesh whenever Harry turned his head. Without withdrawing his arms from around Harry, Neville turned them until his back was pressed against the arm of the sofa and his legs laid out along the cushions. Harry settled more comfortably in his lap, dangling his legs over the edge of the sofa while he curled against Neville's chest.

"All better?"

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Daddy," he whispered shyly.

Leaning in, Neville pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead and offered him a smile. "Anything for you, Harry."


	2. Time Out

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of _Harry Potter_, and make no money from playing in their sandbox for the purposes of this fic.

Lots of love to lorcalon for the beta!

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><p>Neville glanced up at Harry across the table again and frowned. Harry had fallen unusually quiet during dinner, despite his boisterous mood before they sat down, and was now proceeding to aimlessly push the untouched vegetables from their take-away around his plate. Setting his fork down, Neville nudged his own plate to one side and watched Harry for a moment.<p>

"You all right?" he asked, and Harry nodded. "Then why aren't you eating?"

Harry made a face without looking up, nudging a stray piece of broccoli into the pile on one side of his plate. "'s icky..." he murmured.

With a small smile, Neville leaned back in his seat as he realized why Harry's behaviour had shifted. "I see... And did you actually _try_ it before you decided that."

Harry hesitated and shook his head, glancing up at Neville through his fringe.

"Try a bite, Harry. Just one," Neville encouraged when Harry adamantly shook his head again.

"Don't want it," Harry groused. Folding his arms over his chest, Harry sat back and adopted a scowl, his gaze focussed on the table rather than Neville again.

Neville waited a moment to see if he would give in without prompting before he let out an exaggerated sigh. He pushed his chair back from the table, catching Harry's attention, and began to gather up his own plate, reaching for Harry's as well. "Well, if you don't want it, then I suppose you don't want afters either."

Harry's eyes widened, and his eyes darted between Neville and his plate. "But... Daddy..."

"No 'but's, Harry." Neville kept his expression stern, despite the smile that tried to pull at his mouth at Harry's sulking. "You either finish your supper, or don't get dessert. So which will it be?"

He watched Harry stare up at him in silence for a moment, trying to turn his sulking in his favour by setting his lower lip to tremble. When Neville didn't waver, however, Harry let out a huff and flung himself against the back of his chair. Folding his arms over his chest, he turned his gaze to the table and scowled.

"Don't want it," he repeated in a petulant tone.

"All right then." Neville plucked up Harry's plate and rounded the table, tipping Harry's plate over the rubbish bin to clear it before depositing both their dishes in the sink. He charmed them to wash with a flick of his wand and turned back towards the table to see Harry had remained stubbornly in place. "Come on, Harry, get up."

He strode over to the table to stand beside Harry's chair, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go find something to play before bed."

Harry shook his head and shrugged off Neville's hand. "I want afters!"

"No, Harry. I told you, not unless you finished your dinner, and you said that you didn't want it."

Harry's face scrunched as he looked up at Neville and demanded, "Afters!"

Neville sighed, "_No_, Harry. Now come on, time to get up from the table."

"Make me," Harry challenged, slinking down in his seat and looking away again. Neville let out another sigh and moved behind Harry's chair, hooking his hands beneath Harry's arms and hoisting him up to his feet, receiving a startled yelp of surprise from Harry.

"There." Neville released Harry and started to push his chair in when he moved to the side, and froze as Harry's foot collided with his ankle. It hadn't had much force behind it at all, but it had been hard enough for Neville to feel it, and he turned his head to the side to look at Harry with a hint of disbelief.

Harry looked back at him, his arms still folded over his chest and his lower lip pulled between his teeth in his uncertainty. He swallowed and held Neville's gaze as he drew his foot back and aimed another kick at Neville's shin, a little harder than the first.

"_Harry_," Neville said sharply. Straightening, Neville folded his own arms over his chest as he gave Harry a stern look. "You _do not_ kick Daddy. You know better than that." Relief flickered across Harry's features, but was quickly masked by the return of his petulant expression. This time, Harry raised his arm, and Neville caught him by the wrist in a gentle grasp. "_Or_ hit." Harry's eyes narrowed in challenge, and Neville guided his arm down to his side. "This is your only warning, Harry. If you do it again, then I will punish you."

Neville felt Harry's pulse quicken at the threat, before he released his wrist. They were both still for a moment, until Harry lashed out at him again, landing a smack against Neville's shoulder. His expression turned uncertain as soon as his hand made contact, and his lower lip was pulled between his teeth again while Neville straightened.

"Daddy...?"

"Hush." Neville's voice was firm, but not harsh, and Harry fell silent. "Go into the sitting room, Harry."

Harry swallowed, taking a small step back from Neville. "But-"

"_Harry_."

Harry made a strained sound, looking up at Neville with pleading eyes. When Neville didn't relent, Harry ducked his head and stepped around him, wrapping his arms around himself. He was silent while he walked, glancing once over his shoulder at Neville and quickly looking away again when their eyes met. His arms tightened around himself when they made it to the sitting room, and Harry hovered uncertainly near the sofa, worrying his lower lip.

"Daddy, please, I-"

"Sit," Neville instructed, pointing at the nearest end of the sofa. Harry trembled as he obeyed, dropping himself down onto the cushion and pulling his feet up onto it as well, pressing his knees to his chest. Neville waited patiently for Harry to raise his eyes, and his stern resolve crumbled at the note of fear in his gaze.

Crouching down in front of the sofa, Neville reached out and laid one hand on Harry's arm where it wrapped around his knees. Harry tensed under the touch at first, but relaxed when Neville only slid his hand back and forth over his arm. "You know Daddy will never hurt you, right?"

Harry hesitated and then nodded.

Neville gave him a reassuring smile as he moved his hand to cover Harry's, curling around it and squeezing lightly. "But when you misbehave, Daddy has to punish you. Do you understand?" He received another nod in answer, as Harry turned his gaze away. "Okay. You're going to sit here in time out until I tell you to get up, all right?" Neville gave Harry's hand another squeeze as he straightened. "No talking. I just want you to think about what you did."

"Yes, Daddy," Harry whispered, failing to disguise the tremor in his voice. He scrunched his knees closer to his chest and ducked his head to hide his face against them.

Neville watched him for a moment, fighting the desire to pull Harry into his arms, before he finally stepped back. Harry didn't move as he retreated, and Neville took a deep breath, glancing at the clock above the fireplace to mark the time. He made his way to their bedroom, trusting Harry to stay where he'd been put while he gathered Harry's lion from its place on the shelf in their closet, as well as the soft blanket he'd bought for him.

He took his time moving back into the sitting room, finding Harry still on the sofa, curled in on himself the same way he had been when Neville left. Neville checked the time again, waiting for the second hand to finish ticking over to the next minute before he approached Harry.

"Five minutes is enough," Neville murmured, holding Harry's lion under his arm while he draped the blanket over Harry's shoulders. Harry didn't lift his head, but as he recognised the blanket settling over him, he clutched for the ends of the blanket, clutching it around himself. Neville claimed the cushion beside him, pulling the lion from beneath his arm.

Sitting the toy on his knee, Neville made it lean in towards Harry and brush its head against his hand. He heard Harry suck in a shuddering breath and repeated the action until Harry lifted his head at last. His eyes were red and slightly puffy, with faint tracks of tears along his cheeks. Harry gave a loud sniffle and looked from Neville to his toy, reaching out to grab at the lion. Neville passed it to him, watching as Harry crushed the lion against his chest with one hand and buried his face against it, grasping for him with his free hand.

"Come here," Neville murmured, wrapping his arms around Harry and pulling him into his lap. Harry's hand clutched at Neville's shirt until his knuckles whitened, and Neville cradled him close, tugging the blanket around him again when it started to slip.

"I'm s-sorry Daddy," Harry sniffled, his voice coming out muffled by his toy. "I'm sorry I was a bad-" He broke off to take a hiccoughing breath. "Bad boy..."

Neville shushed him, moving his hand to Harry's hair and gently threading his fingers through it. "You aren't bad, Harry. You're my good boy." Harry started to shake his head and Neville stopped him by continuing. "You _are_." His arm around Harry's waist tightened, holding him closer as he dipped his head to press a kiss to Harry's hair. "Daddy's good little boy."

Harry whimpered, twisting himself towards Neville's chest, but his trembling faded as Neville's fingers continued moving through his hair. When he felt Harry finally relax against him, Neville stopped to tip Harry's face up towards him and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"You know Daddy loves you, right?"

"Even... now?" Harry asked, looking up at him and searching his eyes. A small, affectionate smile twisted up the edges of Neville's mouth as he nodded, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Harry's eyes.

"Of course. A little bit of acting up can't make me stop loving you, Harry." Neville let out a quiet chuckle as Harry flung his arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry for hitting, Daddy."

Smiling, Neville ruffled Harry's hair. "It's all right."

Harry sat back in Neville's lap, hugging his lion to his chest and grinning at Neville over its head. "Could I maybe still have afters, Daddy?" He adopted his best pleading expression.

"I shouldn't let you, you know..."

"_Please_?" Harry begged. He squeezed his lion until it let out its tiny roar, and then held the toy up towards Neville. "Mr. Lion says good boys get their afters."

Neville laughed and pulled Harry into a tight hug before nudging him out of his lap. "All right, if Mr. Lion says, then I suppose you can." Harry's grin widened and he rocked on his heels as he waited for Neville to stand. Once Neville was on his feet, Harry leaned in and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"I love you, Daddy!"

Smiling, Neville let Harry grasp his hand to lead him back towards the kitchen. "I love you, too, Harry."


	3. Sick Day

My eternal love as always to lorcalon for the beta work on this.

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><p>Neville awoke to the sound of a soft groan and Harry shuffling back against him in bed. Smiling sleepily, he moved his arm from low around Harry's waist and slid it up over his bare chest before stilling and sucking in a breath through his teeth with a hiss. He opened his eyes and sat upright, frowning as he looked down at Harry and moved his hand up to touch his forehead. Harry's skin burned to the touch, and Neville quickly snatched his hand back and shifted over as he nudged Harry to roll onto his back.<p>

"Wake up, Harry."

His words were met with another groan from Harry, and this time, Neville realized that it sounded pained. He picked up his wand from the bedside table and conjured a cool, damp cloth to dab at Harry's forehead. Harry's eyes opened while Neville pressed the cloth to his heated skin, and Neville noticed the clouded look to them with a worried frown.

"iMerlin/i, love, you're burning up."

"Don't feel good," Harry grumbled, his voice still thick and rough with sleep. Despite himself, Neville chuckled softly and laid the cloth across Harry's forehead.

"I figured as much." Trailing his fingers over Harry's hot cheek, Neville watched Harry leaning into his touch. After a moment, Harry started trying to push himself upright until Neville placed his hand on his shoulder and nudged him down onto his back again.

"I've got work today," Harry protested weakly, and Neville shook his head.

"Not anymore, you don't. You've got to stay in bed while I look after you until you're better."

It was Harry's turn to shake his head. "You don't have to, Neville, really. I'll be fine-"

Neville silenced him by placing a finger against his lips, and Harry looked up at him, his eyes a little clearer as the last traces of sleep faded from them, but still clouded from his fever. Something about the way he looked pulled at Neville and, without thinking about it, he bent down and pressed his lips against Harry's forehead just beneath the cloth.

"You're going to rest today, Harry, and let Daddy take care of you."

He heard Harry's breath hitch at his words and pulled back slowly to look at him, seeing the way Harry's eyes shone. Their moments of slipping into that dynamic had certainly become a little more frequent, as both of them became increasingly more comfortable with their roles, but Neville was never the one to request it. Harry had always given him something to indicate he wanted it, or at the very least, Neville would ask, if he thought that Harry might be in the mood, but he had never before taken the initiative on his own until now, and the impact it had on Harry was obvious.

Smiling softly at him, Neville cast a quick iAccio/i to summon Harry's lion from its keeping place on the top shelf of the closet. He caught it as it soared towards the bed and passed it to Harry, who immediately wrapped his arms tightly around the toy until it let out one of its tiny roars, and Neville reached his hand up to stroke Harry's hair back off his forehead.

"Is there anything wrong besides the fever?" he asked, running his fingers lightly through Harry's hair. Harry nodded, tucking his face into his lion and looking at Neville over its head.

"My tummy feels bad, too, Daddy."

"Anything else?" Harry shook his head and Neville nodded, ruffling his hair before pulling his hand away and Summoning a fever reducer from their bathroom. Pulling the stopper from the phial, he pressed it to Harry's lips, tipping it gently when Harry lifted his head up to take it and giving him a fond smile when he pulled a face at the taste of the potion. "I know, it's not very good, is it?"

Harry shook his head with his face still a little scrunched up, and Neville chuckled as he leaned down and brushed his lips against his forehead again. "It will make you feel better, though, I promise. Now, you rest, and Daddy will go downstairs to fix you something to eat, all right?"

"Yes, Daddy," Harry answered, with the first hint of a smile on his face. Pleased, Neville removed the rag from Harry's forehead and replaced it with a fresh one before moving off the bed. Harry immediately curled closer to his side of the bed, nuzzling his cheek against Neville's pillow with the lion wrapped up tight in his arms. "Hurry back?"

"Of course, Harry. Rest now – nap if you want – I won't be long." Neville watched Harry nod and close his eyes. Neville smiled to himself as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He put a pot of tomato soup on the stove to cook and scrawled a quick owl to Harry's boss to inform him that he was ill. He wrote out a second to the young man who helped him with his greenhouses and sent both off with their owl. After checking the soup, he conjured a tray to carry everything upstairs on and began pulling out dishes from another cabinet. He cut two pieces off a loaf of bread and poured a glass of juice for Harry, placing it all on the tray and dishing out two bowls of the soup when it was ready. He levitated the tray ahead of him as he made his way back upstairs, pausing in the doorway when he saw Harry dozing on his side of the bed.

Approaching the bed, Neville reached out and touched Harry's cheek, relieved when it felt much cooler now, near enough to normal that he felt confident to take the cloth off his forehead. Neville perched himself at the edge of the bed and gently shook Harry's shoulder to wake him. When his eyes opened, clear and bright now without the haze from his fever, Harry smiled and shuffled back to his own side of the bed, allowing Neville to join him. He waited for Harry to push himself upright, settling back against the headboard with Neville, to guide the tray over to rest across Harry's lap.

"Made your favourite," Neville said, carefully lifting his bowl off the tray and balancing it in his own lap.

Harry looked over at him with a smile, the shining look back in his eyes as he murmured, "Thank you, Daddy." Unable to help himself, Neville leaned over and kissed Harry's hair.

"Anything for you, my sweet boy. Now, eat, all right? If you're feeling better after, Daddy will pull out one of your games and we can play for a while."

Harry's face lit up at the suggestion, and he nodded excitedly, breaking off part of his bread and dipping it into his soup. Neville watched him with a fond look for a moment longer, before picking up his spoon and starting on his own soup. They ate in silence, with Neville shooting glances at Harry now and again to see that he seemed to be looking better now, the potion from earlier and the food doing wonders for him. When they had both finished, Neville placed his bowl back on the tray and Banished all of it to the kitchen sink with a quick wave of his wand.

"Do we get to play a game now, Daddy?" Harry asked, all but bouncing on the bed, and Neville couldn't help but laugh, reaching over and ruffling his hair.

"Yes, Harry. What would you like to play?" Neville moved off the bed as he asked, crossing to the same closet where they tucked Harry's lion away when they weren't playing and pulled it open, considering the handful of Muggle board games stacked neatly on the top shelf.

"Frustration!" Harry said excitedly, and Neville heard him starting to bounce on the bed.

Chuckling, Neville pulled the game down and carried it over to bed, slipping onto his own side and setting the game between himself and Harry. He set up the pieces quickly and let Harry take the first turn, watching him pop a six and begin moving a peg around the board. By the time Neville was able to move one of his own pieces from the start position, Harry's peg had advanced and was only a few places behind his own, his next turn moving his peg to the same place as Neville's.

"Sorry, Daddy!" Harry trilled with a grin, plucking Neville's piece up and moving it back to the start position. Neville laughed and reached across the board to tickle Harry under his arms until he burst into a fit of laughter, clamping his arms over his hands. "Daddy, no fair!"

"Neither is setting back my only piece on the board," Neville answered in a playful tone, stilling his hands and leaning over to kiss Harry's forehead with a grin. Harry retorted by pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"You could still win, Daddy. 's your turn."

Neville nodded and pulled back to look at the board, popping the dice and letting out an exaggerated groan when he didn't get a six, making Harry laugh. Resisting the temptation to start tickling him again in retaliation, Neville adopted a pout and earned himself a kiss on the cheek for it. The game picked up again with Harry's turn, finishing some time later when Harry got all of his pieces into their ending slots, while Neville had only gotten one into his, with one still stuck at start and the others spaced around the board.

They reset the board and played another few rounds before Neville packed it away again. Over the course of their fourth game, Harry had begun shifting and frowning to himself, and when Neville had reached over to check his forehead, he'd felt his fever returning. He'd allowed them to finish the game after Harry pleaded, but as he placed the lid on the box and levitated it back to its place in the closet, Harry shuffled closer to him. Neville iAccio/i'd another potion for Harry's fever from the bathroom, pressing the phial to his lips and stroking his hair after he'd swallowed it down.

"You should sleep again, Harry," Neville prompted, watching Harry lean into the touch. "Rest up and let the potion do its work."

"Will you stay with me, Daddy?"

Harry looked up at him pleadingly and Neville nodded, shifting down to lay beside Harry, wrapping his arms around him when he burrowed into his chest. Sliding his hand over Harry's back, Neville pressed a kiss to Harry's temple and cuddled him close. "Sleep, now," he murmured. "Daddy will stay right here till you wake, promise."

He felt Harry give a small smile against the skin of his neck, where he'd buried his face, and one of Harry's arms moved to drape around Neville's waist. "Thank you, Daddy..."

"You're welcome, Harry."


End file.
